UTPA Report: Alumni Association helping injured UTPA student

By mnino

Created 06/24/2013 - 2:44pm

POSTED: Monday, June 24, 2013 - 2:44pm

UPDATED: Monday, June 24, 2013 - 3:13pm

EDINBURG, TX (KVEO NEWS CENTER 23) — Members of The University of Texas-Pan American Alumni Association are rallying the support of fellow Broncs and the community to come to help a UTPA student who was seriously injured in a bicycle accident. As Sandra Quintanilla reports, The Alumni Association has created a bank account to help the young girl's family with medical bills and other expenses. Here's this week's UTPA report.

Yuridia Cazares Fonseca would be attending classes at UT Pan American. Instead, the young girl is in the hospital with serious injuries following a bicycle accident in early May. Relatives say Yuridia, nicknamed "Yuri" by those who know her, was riding alongside a friend in McAllen when she fell and hit her head. The impact was so severe it caused Yuri to slip into coma. This heartbreaking news travelled quickly across the UTPA campus, even as far up to the president's office.

Robert S. Nelsen, UTPA President "She was an outstanding student, straight As last semester, ah as just, just one of our very best students and she was planning on going into nursing, was well on her way. Unfortunately, as you know, she was riding a bike, fell off the bike and hurt herself, very, very, very badly."

Several UTPA staff members have been visiting Yuri who is now at Doctor's Hospital at Renaissance. While they say she appears to show some improvement—responding to her mother’s voice and squeezing the hand of a trusted friend—doctors estimate that her road to recovery will be extensive and require around-the-clock medical attention. But without health insurance, Yuri's parents worry about how they will pay for long-term care and other expenses. When word got to members of UTPA's Alumni Association, they joined quickly to establish a bank account in Yuri's name to facilitate donations.

Arnoldo Mata, UTPA Alumni Association President "The cost of supporting her rehabilitation over that long period is going to be draining on the family so we are asking our alumni, our supporters, friends of the university, or just anybody who cares about a student who's in need, to help us by donating to this very important cause. Today it's this student Yuri. In the future, there may be somebody else who needs our help.

When asked why this show of support is so important to UTPA, President Nelsen had this to say.

Robert Nelsen, UTPA President "Because she is part of our family. We are all in this together. She isn't going to be able to make it on her own. We have to pitch together. We have to really be a Bronc family."

Lone Star National Bank/ Account # 71016244

If you would like to contribute to help Yuridia, contact Lone Star National Bank and give to account number 71016244. Three collection locations have also been set up on the UTPA campus... The Office of the President, University Advancement Office and UTPA Alumni Center. I'm Sandra Quintanilla reporting for UTPA and News Center 23.